Worship in Appearance Only
Isaiah 58 has a strong rebuke from the Lord about worship. In this chapter God says His people appear to be very religious. They appear to worship God truthfully but the problem is it is only the appearance, not the reality. They fast and pray, they say the right things, they long for God to answer their prayers but He does not. Why? Because they seek God selfishly. Because while they look like worshippers of God, they are really worshippers of self. God says they fast to make "their voices heard on high"; to glorify self instead of God.
What Should They Be Doing
God tells them they have not been heard because, while they looked all "holy" to onlookers, they were oppressing others instead of reaching out with compassion and love. Their treatment of others was evil. God uses action words to describe what His people should be doing. They should be "loosing bonds, undoing burdens, freeing the oppressed, breaking yokes, sharing food with the hungry, bringing into your home those who were cast out and covering the naked". (Isaiah 58: 6-7) Only then would blessings come from Him.
Promised Blessings
If worship is true and right then you will do these things. What blessings does He promise to those who don't just "talk the talk but walk the walk" as we say? The Lord will hear your prayers, He will heal you, guide you, satisfy you, strengthen you and you will live lives of righteousness. (Isaiah 58: 11)
Stop Doing These Things
But to receive these blessings there are three things we must stop doing. Stop oppressing others, stop pointing fingers at other people and stop speaking wickedly about others. (Isaiah 58: 9) There are two things the Lord wants us to do. We must minister to the needs of the hungry, hungry physically and hungry spiritually. (Isaiah 58: 10)
We Are the Repairer of the Breach
If we do these things God calls us "the Repairer of the Breach" and "the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In". (Isaiah 58: 12) A breach is a tear, a break in something. Have we allowed sin in our lives to create a breach that has allowed the Devil access to our family? Has a breach occurred between you and God over unrepentant sin? What boundaries have we set between ourselves and the world? If our worship is true then that breach can be repaired. We can't build a relationship with God with broken walls and destroyed streets.
As Paul reminds us in I Corinthians 13: 3,
"And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."
Whatever I do for God must be done out of love for Him and for others or it is completely in vain. Love for God and others is true worship. Worship that is not just lip service but action.
I pray that today we may be called a "Repairer of the Breach" and a "Restorer of Streets" because then He will hear us and bless us. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!
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